Tawhid refers to the belief in Allah as the sole God and Lord, attributing to Him alone all the qualities of Lordship and divinity. It is the essence of Islamic monotheism and is categorized into three key aspects:
- Tawhid
al-Rububiyyah (Oneness of Divine Lordship):
Recognizing Allah as the sole Creator, Sustainer, and Controller of the
universe.
- Tawhid
al-Uluhiyyah (Oneness of Divinity): Worshiping Allah alone
without associating any partners with Him.
- Tawhid al-Asma wa’l-Sifat (Oneness of the Divine Names and Attributes): Affirming that Allah's names and attributes are unique and unparalleled, as revealed in the Quran and Sunnah.
This word (Tawhid) and its derivatives are used with this
meaning in the Quran and Sunnah. For example:
Allah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say (O Muhammad): He is
Allah, (the) One [Ahad]. Allah-us-Samad [Allah — the Self-Sufficient Master,
Whom all creatures need, (He neither eats nor drinks)]. He begets not, nor was
He begotten. And there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him” [al-Ikhlas 112:1-4]
“And your Ilah (God) is
One Ilah [ilahun wahidun] (God — Allah), La Ilaha illa Huwa (there is none who
has the right to be worshipped but He), the Most Gracious, the Most
Merciful” [al-Baqarah 2:163]
“Surely, disbelievers
are those who said: ‘Allah is the third of the three (in a Trinity).’ But there
is no Ilah (god) (none who has the right to be worshipped) but One Ilah [ilahun
wahidun] (God —Allah). And if they cease not from what they say, verily, a
painful torment will befall on the disbelievers among them” [al-Maidah 5:73]
In Sahih al-Bukhari (7372) and Sahih Muslim (19) it is narrated
that Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent Mu’adh ibn Jabal to Yemen, he said to
him: “You are going to people from among
the People of the Book, so let the first thing to which you call them be belief
in Allah alone (Tawhid). If they accept that, then tell them that Allah has
enjoined on them five prayers every day and night. If they pray then tell them
that Allah has enjoined on them zakah from their wealth to be taken from their
rich and given to their poor. If they agree to that then take it from them but
avoid the best of people’s wealth.”
In
Sahih Muslim it is narrated from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Islam is builton five (pillars) : belief
that Allah is One, establishing regular prayer, paying zakah, fasting Ramadan
and Hajj.”
Tawhid is the core of the testimony that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. It represents the foundation of Islam, the faith Allah sent with His Prophet to guide both humankind and jinn. No other religion or belief system will be accepted by Allah apart from this.
And Allah knows best.